2023-06-16 17:01:33
Morocco: “Tantan Season” celebrates nomads and desert culture
The Mokar Foundation is organizing the 16th session of the “Tantan Season”, which is a heritage and cultural event that takes place every year and brings together more than 30 tribes from southern Morocco to tribes from neighboring African countries, between July 7 and 12.
This year, the season will be held under the slogan “Tan-Tan Season, a consolidation of identity and a lever for sustainable development.” It was originally a spontaneous gathering of nomads near a well, until it took on a regular character, lasting for a week and held once a year, specifically during the month of May (May), which coincides with the pastoral agricultural calendar of the Bedouins and nomads.
Being part of Bedouin life, the “Tantan Season” was an opportunity for reunion and trade exchange, as well as an occasion to organize camel and horse breeding competitions. It has also become a real space for celebrating weddings, exchanging visits, strengthening family and social ties, and making peace between individuals and groups. Therefore, it is a human gathering with the intent of celebrating various forms of cultural expression, such as popular music and songs, games, poetic duels, and other oral traditions of Hassani rich in the region.
On the other hand, some nomads have concerns regarding preserving their ancient way of life. Economic and technical shifts in the region are bringing regarding major changes in the ways of living of nomads and Bedouins, forcing them to settle down. Also, urbanization and rural migration contribute to the disappearance of a number of features of traditional culture, especially traditional industry and poetry. Therefore, Bedouins and nomads rely a lot on the “Tantan Season” to ensure the continuation of their lifestyle, experiences and deep-rooted traditions.
It is noteworthy that the decision of the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI, to establish an institution to organize the season, constituted a practical initiative to revive it and give it a strong impetus at home and abroad. As the season’s courses are distinguished by the presence of high-ranking Moroccan and foreign personalities, and the presence of a large number of goodwill ambassadors for “UNESCO” gave the season the character of the world cultural heritage, as a legacy worth preserving, to ensure the continued revival of this culture and to enable the Bedouins and nomads from the rooms of a world dominated by Peace and tolerance.
According to the organizers, this season aims to celebrate Bedouin culture by highlighting and preserving the different dimensions of the daily life of Bedouins and nomads.
It is an indication that “UNESCO” had included “The Season of Tan-Tan” in the list of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
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